Equipment may be sometimes outfitted with camera units for capturing and storing video data of the environment around the vehicle. For example, law enforcement vehicles may be provided with “dashboard cams” to record a view out the front windshield of the vehicle, to capture video data of interactions between a law enforcement officer and (for example) the occupants of another vehicle. As another example, passenger automobiles may be provided with fixed-position rear view cameras for capturing a video stream of the region directly behind the automobile, which is displayed on a console display screen to aid the driver in safely backing up.
In addition to in-vehicle cameras, transportation networks (referring to infrastructure for movement of vehicles, e.g., railroad track networks for rail vehicles, or highway and other road networks for automobiles, semi-trailer trucks, and other on-highway vehicles) are sometimes outfitted with wayside cameras for capturing video data of the transportation network. For example, a camera may be affixed to a mast at the side of a highway, to capture video data of the highway for traffic tracking and reporting purposes.
For both in-vehicle and wayside camera systems, it is typically the case that the camera systems are fixed in place, to capture video data only of a designated field of view, e.g., to the front or rear of a vehicle, or a designated segment of road. For vehicles, this is because the camera systems are designated for capturing video data that may be safety critical (rear view) or important from a public-policy standpoint (law enforcement dashboard cams). For wayside camera systems, this is because the designated field of view must be constantly monitored (e.g., view of a tollgate), or to keep data consistent (e.g., roadway monitoring over time).